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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · drill · pop · tube · fall · fork · bank · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bank — of a river
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — soda
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — a short time
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — army training
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com